The Battlefield 6 open beta has come and gone, which means the only thing fans can do right now is argue and wait. One hot topic of discussion has been Battlefield 6‘s map size, which fans insist is simply too cramped to properly capture the true Battlefield experience. Like clockwork, DICE has answered the call by dropping a sudden update to 2021’s Battlefield 2042, a game known for its ginormous map sizes.
Despite a new game on the horizon, Battlefield 2042 hasn’t been entirely laid to rest. The large-scale shooter has had a handful of updates in 2025, though most of them have been smaller adjustments, returning limited-time events, and crossovers involving other EA franchises like Mass Effect and Dead Space. The Aug. 18 update is different. The patch brings with it new weapons, vehicles, and even a fan-favorite map, Iwo Jima.
It’s smart timing on EA’s part, with Battlefield 6‘s beta now inaccessible to players and all the negative chatter surrounding the upcoming game. Some players disliked the new experience enough that they claimed they’d soon return to Battlefield 2042 instead. The futuristic entry in the series initially saw mixed reception from fans, but after some updates and the addition of new maps, fans largely walked away feeling like the shooter had landed in the right spot. The issue is that DICE nailed it after most people considered or gave Battlefield 2042 a try, so the player base didn’t necessarily see a merited resurgence in users. This is a great opportunity to remind people of a game that might fulfill all their desires while also keeping Battlefield 6 in the conversation. For some added incentive, players who try out the new content in 2042 will get some type of exclusive content in Battlefield 6, but EA did not share what those rewards will be.
Players will have to mind an active volcano in Iwo Jima, which can explode in the middle of a match. The new map will also feature boats, bunkers, and trenches on a 700×200 map. It almost comes across like a direct response to the criticisms levied at Battlefield 6, though realistically, content like this is typically developed over a longer period of time than a mere week or two.
The new weapons include a KFS2000 assault rifle and a semi-automatic Lynx sniper rifle, whereas the two added vehicles are both attack jets. Battlefield 2042 will also incorporate a free battle pass with 60 tiers of unlocks. Tiers 8, 19, 30, 40, 49, and 60 will net you a goodie in Battlefield 6 specifically, and you have until Oct. 7 to earn them all.
For those of you who don’t want to shell out money for a fully-priced old game, or sign up for EA’s subscription program that includes Battlefield 2042, the good news is that Battlefield 6 devs insist that the full release will have bigger maps. But with Rush mode being limited to 12 vs. 12 players, fans are feeling skeptical about it making a difference. Can a fight feel epic with the equivalent of a few squads on each side? Fans are used to player counts that make them feel like they’re a part of a full-blown army, after all. That, and, another major concern, is that Battlefield 6‘s action-oriented combat pushes the series into twitchy Call of Duty territory where the overarching experience includes a lot of immediate kills and deaths.
We’ll have to wait until Oct. 10 to find out if Battlefield 6 gets it right. For now, here are the full patch notes for Battlefield 2042:
Weapons
- Fixed an issue for various weapons where the Underloaded Magazine didn’t show the correct mesh when equipped.
- Vault Weapon LMGs and DFR Strife
Dev comment: Updated UI stats on extended ammo attachments to better reflect how they behave. Most of them were missing “Reload speed” as a negative trait and slightly lower handling. Note that this is purely an UI change and that the weapons themselves already had this active.
- Laser and flashlight underbarrels should now show correctly the on/off state in the inventory UI.
- Fixed an issue where underbarrel grenade launchers would sometimes be more accurate while moving, they should now always be less accurate when moving.
Dev comment: This fix comes with a small tuning pass on accuracy to make it more consistent with hip fire and aim down sights.
- Added texture variations to all underloaded mag attachments and fixed an issue where AEK-971 extended mag would not show a visual variation in most cases.
- Text description for different magazine attachments updated to be more reflective and accurate.
- NTW-50:
Slightly increased Anti-Material High-Power damage versus light vehicles, civilian vehicles and deployed gadgets.
Dev comment: The intention is to lean in a bit to the anti-materiel identity for this weapon when the soldier chooses to go for extra armor penetration.
Fixed an issue where the Ghost Hybrid scope did not show a hint for switching between magnification modes.
Fixed an issue where high power ammo had a slightly higher fire rate than standard issue ammo. It should now have a slightly lower fire rate than standard issue.
Fixed an issue where the AK5C extended mag gave unintended bonuses to horizontal and vertical recoil. The extended mag is now not granting said bonuses, making it the same as other standard issue extended magazines.
- Fixed an issue with Masterkey and Underbarrel Grenade Launcher reducing the ammo a player spawns with for the Masterkey on LCMG and SWS.
- Fixed a bug with the Arcom Tactical Muzzle Attachment obstructing the player’s view.
Dev comment: With fixing this bug we’re also re-enabling the attachment in-game!
- Fixed a bug where the red laser attachment on the PP-2000 appeared green.
- Fixed LS-1 laser icon layer in the collection screen for MP443.
Modes
Once the round has started it is no longer possible to change characters.
- Fixed a bug where the wrong icons were shown on the Frontlines scoreboard.
Gameplay Flow & Social
- Improved visibility of controller input prompts in the inventory HUD against light backgrounds.
- Updated the game credits list with the final list of all the passionate developers who have poured their hearts and souls into this game. Please check it out, and thanks for playing and sticking with us!
Vehicles
- Removed plow collision from the CAV-Brawler skin “Crossroads”, to keep it from getting stuck on terrain and buildings.
- Added new hints for the pilot of the attack jets including free look.
- Bomb hatches of the XFAD-4 Draugr now correctly open and close.
- A10 Warthog and Frogfoot no longer take damage when upside down midair on low velocity.
- Updated the eject impulse on the A10 Warthog and Frogfoot to be consistent with other vehicles
- Added intro sequence for A10 and Frogfoot attack jets.
- Frogfoot and A10 require more contact with water to automatically eject players now
- Improved instances of roadkills not being rewarded when performed by frogfoot
- Free look in 1p in A10 and Frogfoot no longer steers the vehicle
- Zoom hold/toggle player option is now correctly taken into account by the SU-25TM Frogfoot
- Fixed a bug where the “Normandy” XFAD-4 Draugr skin would make the vehicle take more damage.
- Increased the damage RPG and recoilless deals to EBLC-Ram.
- Blast radius of EBLC -Ram driver missiles decreased from 3 to 1.5″
- Fixed an issue with attack jets slightly floating on the menus.
- Improved camera positions during customization of the attack jets to have a better visibility of what is being customized.
- Fixed inconsistent FoV on the attack jets.
- Updated the attack jet to use a similar bullet transform to 2042 jets.
- All locking weapons now should correctly lock onto empty vehicles if the vehicle is designated.
- Littlebird will no longer fly backwards at very high speed when hacked.
- Lowered G force effects on the attack jets to reduce blackout early during turns.
Developer comment:
With the addition of the two new Attack Jets, we are reducing the role of Fighter Jets in ground combat.
- F35/SU57
- Regular rocketpods ammo reduced from 16 to 14
- Regular rocketpods blast damage lowered from 150 to 100
- Afterburner of F35 and SU57 increased from 6 to 9 ( Draugr unchanged) this is to further increase the effectiveness for dogfighting
- XFAD-4 Draugr
- HE impact damage lowered from 15 to 13.5
- HE blast damage 20 to 18
- JDAM bomb reload time increased from 20 to 25
- Napalm bomb reload time increased from 30 to 35
- Napalm inner (max damage radius) lowered from 8m to 4m
- Overall blast radius from 20m to 8m (retains 20m burning radius but no initial explosion damage)
- Napalm bomb shockwave damage has been drastically reduced.
A10 Warthog and SU-25TM Frogfoot Attack Jets:
- New look!
- Fresh audio for some of the weapons.
- Overall increase to maneuverability of the planes especially the elevators.
- Moved the old Air to Ground Missile camera from behind the plane to under the wing for better visibility
- Moved the cockpit cameras for a wider view when inside.
- Added a new secondary weapon with explosive rounds for soft targets.
- Various adjustments to the primary cannon to fit the roster of 2042.
- Various changes to air to ground missiles including rate of fire, damage, secondary projectile when designated for higher damage.
- Various changes to rockpods to fit the roster of 2042.
- Missile countermeasure now has a cooldown of 18 seconds, other jets retain their 12 seconds flare cooldown.
- We have added an emergency, secondary countermeasure similar to what the XFAD-4 Draugr uses for these vehicles as they are a big and slower target in the battlefield. This is meant to be used rarely to save the pilot, so expect long cooldowns and short life time. Players will have the option to choose this over repair.
- Belt speed has been reworked to function similarly to the IFVs we have released recently, it applies on all weapons.
- Added a new ability to enhance maneuverability of the airplane, choosing this will increase nearly all mobility factors; however, players will spawn with fewer ammo on specific weapons.
- Added a new ability that will increase the damage output on all weapons with cost of your maneuverability
